Stonecutter
Renaissance Brewing

StonecutterStonecutter
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From:
Renaissance Brewing
 
New Zealand
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
ABV:
7%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.84 | pDev: 9.64%
Reviews:
72
Ratings:
136
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 29, 2021
Added:
Feb 12, 2008
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  10
Multi award winning Stonecutter Scotch Ale is the big, hearty, ‘red wine’ of our range. The Scotch Ale style is believed to have originated in Edinburgh in the 18th century and is colloquially known as "wee heavy" due to its higher strength than its paler siblings.

We use nine malts blended together to produce layers of caramel, toffee, liquorice, chocolate and roasty flavours. These layers are balanced by a tart, raisiny fruitiness that gradually gives way to give this dark beer a lingering dry finish.

38 IBU
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Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by GoHabsGo from Canada (ON)

May 29, 2021
 
Rated: 3.58 by polloenfuego from Canada (NB)

Jan 26, 2021
 
Rated: 3.94 by ElGallo from New Hampshire

Dec 01, 2020
Photo of taxandbeerguy
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
440 ml can served cold into a tulip. LCBO purchase for $2.95 CDN. Best before 01/08/2021

Appearance - Dark mahogany colored brew, dark enough that not much light gets through and topped with nearly two fingers of frothy off-white head.

Smell - Complex with caramel, toffee, smoke and peat, hints of licorice and some general fruitiness sin the forms of prunes or raisins. Not necessarily cohesive, but a lot of different unique scents given off.

Taste - Smokey, earthy and peaty, semblance of scotch. Followed up earthiness, some more layers of peat, then some subtle sweetness comes in via toffee and caramel. There's is also some licorice for a second in there too. Aftertatse stays with you and it is more of a smokey and earthy taste mixed with prunes and raisins.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, carbonation is pretty light and finish is kind of dry and ashy although that may just be spillover from the flavors.

Overall - For those fans of rauchbiers, I think you will rather enjoy this. I like Stonecutter and there is certainly some thought put into this unique beer but at the end of the day, I'm not sure how well it all works together. In the meantime, worth picking up a couple of cans while they are in stock.
Oct 19, 2020
Photo of Pmicdee
Reviewed by Pmicdee from Canada (ON)

2.68/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
This beer pours a brownish/red colour with a thick frothy head. All I smell is peat like certain scotch whiskeys. The taste is the same, way too much peat for my liking (any is too much). I couldn’t even drink more than a third of the can. I’m sure this is a fantastic beer, but it’s just not in my wheelhouse.
Oct 11 2020
Oct 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by paulish from New York

Sep 29, 2020
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: The beer is hazy dark reddish brown in color. It poured with a quarter finger high off white head that settled down, leaving a collar consisting of small bubbles around the edge of the glass and a large, thin patch of bubbles covering the surface.
S: Light to moderate aromas of caramel and toffee are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and has flavors of toffee with notes of raisins and hints of burnt caramel.
M: It feels a bit more than medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation
O: This beer is quite malty and somewhat heavy on the palate but isn't overly difficult to drink. It would make for a good selection to drink if you are outdoors on a cool fall or spring night.

Serving type: bottle
Jul 01, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by Chico1985 from Massachusetts

Mar 20, 2019
Photo of dave_ackbar
Reviewed by dave_ackbar from Hawaii

4.19/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This was a gift from a friend, I’ve actually never had a scotch ale before.

The look is a nice mix of amber and brown.
Smell is wonderful, nice smell of the fresh hops.
Taste is nice, a bit of a bite with a tinge of bitterness, but goes down smooth.
Feel is good, a bit warm like other ales.
Overall I’m liking this, may have to try another bottle soon.
Jun 09, 2018
Photo of Bitterbill
Reviewed by Bitterbill from Wyoming

4.11/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
500 ml bottle.

An inch of foam is what I get with a fairly vigorous pour. Does well with the lacing.

Smells on the sweet side. Caramel, toffee, chocolate, other than that, it has a smoky, peaty aroma that a lot of this style seem to embrace.

Taste wise, Smoky, peaty, strong malty sweetness up front with toffee, hints of dark fruit mid palate, chocolate finish. Bitter chocolate.

Great mouthfeel.

A well brewed Scotch Ale but I was hoping for something like MacAndrews Scotch Ale. No go there but this is a very good one.
May 12, 2018
 
Rated: 3.77 by shelby415 from Oregon

Feb 07, 2018
 
Rated: 3.97 by NeoClassicist from New York

Dec 02, 2017
Photo of Brolo75
Reviewed by Brolo75 from California

3.61/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
500 ml bottle poured into a snifter

A: Pours a dark red, mahogany color, toffee colored, full, creamy head, no retention or lacing, beer is cloudy, hazy, looks full bodied.

A: Big, deep, rich aromas of toffee, caramel, and toasted brown sugar, red licorice, light toasted malts, no alcohol at all on the nose, light smokey peat aroma as well, smells really nice.

T: Loses a lot of complexity and depth compared to the nose, lots of smokey malt flavors coming through, touch of sweet caramel and toffee, hit of smokey malts, light red licorice, finish has more smoky malts lingering in it, it's heavily smoked.

M: Full bodied, low carbonation, slight dry finish.

O: Really enjoyed the aroma but that did not translate into the taste. Lots of smoky malts and peat on the flavor, not balanced at all, smokiest Scotch/Wee Heavy I've ever tasted.
Sep 21, 2017
 
Rated: 2.98 by PaulSlazinger from Pennsylvania

Jul 20, 2017
Photo of josanguapo
Reviewed by josanguapo from Spain

3/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
From Labirratorium. In Teku glass. Watching Los Soprano 5x09. Some caramel, specially in nose, with a significant yet not excessive smokyness and a good dose of neutral hops in the finish.
Mar 22, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by FLBeerGuy from Florida

Nov 22, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by schopenhauerale from Arizona

Aug 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4.16 by azkkr from England

May 29, 2016
Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

3.96/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4.25
This review/rating is based on the second time I've Had Stonecutter. (I'm glad I did.) The first was in Chicago and the bottle had gone bad from age and poor keeping, possibly by the store with lots and lots of sediment. But this second try came fresh from a store when I was in New Zealand. It had a BB date 11 months in the future.... and no sediment. A different and much, much better beer. And there is particular significance in that this ale is brewed in one of NZ's better wine districts.

Stonecutter Looks good, a dark ruby with foam that says "yum." And the Smells are true to the Scots style: mostly malt whose yeast brings in some nice dark, dried fruits. I'm getting those Tastes until about the the third sip when something -- ever so slightly bitter -- comes to me. At any rate, I'd rather than Stonecutter had more sweet than bitter in the end... But then, they grow good hops in NZ... so they should use them.

Would I have Stonecutter a third time? Probably not until I tried some of Renaissance's other darks. (I bet they are interesting, too.)

Roger Protz reviews Stonecutter in his "300 More Beers To Try Before you Die!" and tells Renaissance's very interesting story and links to Scotland. He says it has "an immense aroma of coffee, chocolate, caramel, roasted gran and notes of whiskey, which continues into the palate." (I didn't taste all that, but I can believe it.)

Stonecutter also is reviewed in the "1001 Beers To Taste Before You Die." It should be listed because NZ grows hops and is warmer than Great Britain... so most of what NZ produces are hoppy light ales. But Stonecutter stands out because it is not too hoppy and proves to NZ's burgeoning craft world that you don't have to be hoppy to be good.
May 11, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by Howlader from Canada (AB)

Apr 07, 2016
Stonecutter from Renaissance Brewing
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 136 ratings